Labour is facing a new equality battle after some members voiced concerns that all-women shortlists risk being a barrier to increasing the number of black and minority ethnic men being elected to Parliament.
The row comes after Streatham MP Chuka Umunna quit the party in February for the Independent Group, leaving Labour with just three black male MPs: Mark Hendrick in Preston, Clive Lewis in Norwich South, and David Lammy in Tottenham.
Now, as Labour decides who will replace Umunna as Labour's parliamentary candidate, tensions have arisen over whether that person should be selected from an all-women shortlist (AWS) or be open to all candidates who reflect Streatham's racial diversity. According to the 2011 census, it has one of the highest black populations in the UK.
Despite opposition, the Streatham Constituency Labour Party (CLP) voted in favour of an all-women shortlist, but the final decision rests with Labour's ruling body, the NEC.
A Labour spokesperson would not confirm to BuzzFeed News whether the NEC had reached a decision. Sources told BuzzFeed News the issue was also subjected to a heated debate at Tuesday's meeting of Labour's NEC equalities committee.
Those arguing against the AWS said while they are in favour of them in principle, applying them indiscriminately can have an impact on black men, who might want to stand in diverse constituencies.
In 2017, a group of black men submitted a formal letter of complaint to Labour, following its failure to select any new black male candidates to stand in the general election. That year, three new black woman MPs were elected. The party currently has seven women of African or Caribbean heritage.
"Streatham CLP is one of the most ethnically diverse constituencies with one of the highest Afro Caribbean populations in the UK," one local member told BuzzFeed News. "Given the appalling lack of Labour MPs from Afro Caribbean backgrounds in particular, it should be the aim of the Labour Party to encourage BAME PPCs to come forward to represent this area rather than automatically banning one half of that cohort on the basis of gender.
"AWS were introduced to overcome the overwhelming domination of white men in Parliament," they added. "It was not aimed at BAME male candidates, yet by banning them from consideration in urban constituencies with a high proportion of BAME residents, the effect (however unintended) has been to block BAME men becoming MPs."
The member, who wished to remain anonymous, described themselves as a feminist, and said they supported AWS in general, but added: "I believe that we must continue to use AWS, but these will best achieve their purpose in CLPs where the population is heavily, if not overwhelmingly, white.
"We must recognise and address the fact that discrimination on the basis of race and ethnicity, too, is a huge problem in our society that Labour needs to address. Disqualifying BAME men from running in highly diverse, multiethnic urban constituencies will only exacerbate this problem."
However, a spokesperson for Labour Women's Network told BuzzFeed News that undermining AWS was not the best route to achieving a diverse Parliamentary Labour Party.
“We must increase all diversity in Parliament," the spokesperson said. "We stand together in these challenges. However, undermining all-women shortlists is not the best way to advance other areas of representation. AWS are an extremely effective and legal method of positive action — Labour should defend and extend them.”
Labour has already been urged this year to protect the diversity of the PLP, as it is feared sitting MPs could be deselected with the end result being more white male Labour MPs in Parliament.
A Labour Party spokesperson said: “The Labour Party has more women MPs and more BAME MPs than all other political parties combined, and we are committed to improving diverse representation at all levels of the Party.
“The Party continues to work to encourage BAME candidates and following the success of the Jo Cox Women in Leadership Programme, we are working to establishing a Bernie Grant Leadership Programme for BAME members.”
Under the Equality Act, while all-women shortlists are permitted, parties cannot legally introduce all-BAME shortlists or shortlists based on other protected characteristics.